Post by Rake on Jun 24, 2013 3:48:48 GMT
Behind the Name
rake
n.
An immoral or dissolute person; a libertine.
[Short for rakehell.]
n.
An immoral or dissolute person; a libertine.
[Short for rakehell.]
Personality
Once upon a time, Rake had hopes and dreams. Now, he knows that hopes and dreams are for kits and that grown-ups need to shut up and make sure that those kits get a chance to hope and dream at all. He is cynical and is firmly convinced that life isn't going to get much better for him and Scrap, and that all they can do is try to survive another day. He dislikes overly optimistic cats, and is quick to snap at them... unless they happen to be a kit. Rake is fiercely protective of kits and their feelings, and he doesn't like seeing them get their dreams crushed. He's the first cat to try and smuggle a kit to a family of twolegs... or to the clans, if he thinks he truly needs to. He'd do anything to make sure that another kit doesn't fall into the same life he and Scrap have. He tolerates daydreaming more from Scrap then any other cat, but she's different.
Rake is a bitter cat and has a bad habit of projecting on others. He is jealous of clan cats and kittypets, and treats the latter with disdain. He enjoys playing games with clan cats, whether flirting with them and encouraging them to break the code or simply goading them into attacking them. It's all part of his way of taking out his anger over his situation on someone that has it better then him. He projects on kits and apprentices too, in an altogether different way. All too often he thinks of a pair of young cats abandoned in the city, and he's determined to make sure no other cat goes through that. Unfortunately, this can lead to him giving some seriously bad advice.
It can be hard to notice Rake's problems until he's suddenly launching them on someone. He hides all of his problems because he fully believes that if he shows them, someone will use them against him. He's a surprisingly cheerful cat, even if he is a bit abrasive. He likes to give people nicknames, and he loves messing with people. Especially if they have a bad temper. It's almost as fun as flirting. Even better if they get mad at him because he's flirting with them. He'll back off if someone is actually uncomfortable, but he can't resist pushing buttons.
Rake is a total fool. He even plays it up a bit, because he likes when people underestimate him. He acts more like an overgrown kit then he does an adult when outside of fights, and when in one he tends to act like he's having the time of his life. He loves stupid jokes. He loves stupid puns. He loves stupid things in general. 'Respect' isn't a thing he really does, and he's likely to just laugh in someones face if they expect him to respect them. He's essentially on his way to the grave and it's unlikely anyone can slow him down.
He values his freedom intensely, which is what has kept him out of loner groups. He doesn't like the idea of 'belonging' to any leader, and he'd really rather keep freelancing the way he has. He could be convinced to join a clan, potentially, but he'd have to get over a lot of his problems first. Maybe if he had a lot of friends there or something.
He has a bit of a cat nip problem. He stole a catnip mouse from a kittypet and still has it, even though the catnip wore out long ago. You'll never prove it.
Rake is a bitter cat and has a bad habit of projecting on others. He is jealous of clan cats and kittypets, and treats the latter with disdain. He enjoys playing games with clan cats, whether flirting with them and encouraging them to break the code or simply goading them into attacking them. It's all part of his way of taking out his anger over his situation on someone that has it better then him. He projects on kits and apprentices too, in an altogether different way. All too often he thinks of a pair of young cats abandoned in the city, and he's determined to make sure no other cat goes through that. Unfortunately, this can lead to him giving some seriously bad advice.
It can be hard to notice Rake's problems until he's suddenly launching them on someone. He hides all of his problems because he fully believes that if he shows them, someone will use them against him. He's a surprisingly cheerful cat, even if he is a bit abrasive. He likes to give people nicknames, and he loves messing with people. Especially if they have a bad temper. It's almost as fun as flirting. Even better if they get mad at him because he's flirting with them. He'll back off if someone is actually uncomfortable, but he can't resist pushing buttons.
Rake is a total fool. He even plays it up a bit, because he likes when people underestimate him. He acts more like an overgrown kit then he does an adult when outside of fights, and when in one he tends to act like he's having the time of his life. He loves stupid jokes. He loves stupid puns. He loves stupid things in general. 'Respect' isn't a thing he really does, and he's likely to just laugh in someones face if they expect him to respect them. He's essentially on his way to the grave and it's unlikely anyone can slow him down.
He values his freedom intensely, which is what has kept him out of loner groups. He doesn't like the idea of 'belonging' to any leader, and he'd really rather keep freelancing the way he has. He could be convinced to join a clan, potentially, but he'd have to get over a lot of his problems first. Maybe if he had a lot of friends there or something.
He has a bit of a cat nip problem. He stole a catnip mouse from a kittypet and still has it, even though the catnip wore out long ago. You'll never prove it.
Appearance
Rake could have been a very handsome cat, indeed. His coat is coal black, with only the yellow of his eyes adding any color to him. A thick scar runs down the right side of his face, just under his eye. He's a large tom, but he isn't particularly bulky. He's more on the lean side of things, and his harsh life isn't helping things. He's obviously in need of a good meal or eight. Unfortunately, his lifestyle is easily apparent with only a glance. His coat is often in need of a good grooming, and matted fur and healing wounds hint to just how much time he spends fighting. He's on his way to an early grave, and he knows it.
History
The tiny black kit that would become Rake was not unusual in any way. He was just another unwanted cat in a world that already had far too many, born to a mother who could barely feed herself. He was one of a litter of four that quickly dwindled to two, one sibling lost to illness and another stolen away by curious twoleg kits to a better life. The loss of his siblings was a gift wrapped in tragedy, as it was likely the only thing that saved the infant Rake and his sister, Scrap.
They grew under the watchful eye of their mother, guarded from the dogs of the streets and the gangs of cats that ruled the shadows. The alleys were their playgrounds, and they learned to hate the kittypets that lived inside. Why did those ones get to stay inside while Rake and his sister starved in the cold? It just wasn't fair. They were just as good as those kittens, weren't they?
At the age of six moons, when the cats of the clans would have been apprenticed, his mother said her goodbyes to him and his sister. She could not afford to share her territory with them any longer, and she chased them out. Rake and Scrap milled about in confusion, before eventually deciding to stay together. They were all they had in the world, after all. Despite their hardships, they were honestly happy so long as they had each other.
As they grew, they came in conflict with the gangs of the town. At first, the gangs were more interested in chasing them out then talking. But Rake and Scrap grew strong in the cruel environment of the streets, thriving like weeds. Soon, they had reached their full size and the gangs of rogues were much kinder. Rake remained suspicious, and he encouraged Scrap to keep her distance. Scrap was the more clever of the two, and she quickly made a career of selling information to the gangs. Her black coat and sleek build made spying easy, and she brought home dinner on many nights when they would have otherwise starved.
Rake didn't have the advantage of being hard to notice. He didn't want to give up his freedom, but he was desperate for food and to prove himself. So, instead, he rented out his services as a bit of a thug for hire. For a safe place to sleep and a bit to eat, Rake would help a cat solve their problems. With his claws, if necessary. He found himself enjoying his bloody tasks, and he began to work for one cat particularly often. A big kittypet, of all things. Rake didn't mind, since the kittypet's housefolk were often out and he and Scrap got to crash in their house.
On one of those little missions, he chased his prey clear into the forest. He was twenty four moons, and he discovered the clans. Hidden in the forest and living a life that to the stray, looked like paradise. Instead of joining a clan, he found himself filled with horrible envy. He hated them. but he was also fascinated with them beyond belief.
So he regularly visits the forest between jobs, to tease the clan cats and learn more about his new obsession.
They grew under the watchful eye of their mother, guarded from the dogs of the streets and the gangs of cats that ruled the shadows. The alleys were their playgrounds, and they learned to hate the kittypets that lived inside. Why did those ones get to stay inside while Rake and his sister starved in the cold? It just wasn't fair. They were just as good as those kittens, weren't they?
At the age of six moons, when the cats of the clans would have been apprenticed, his mother said her goodbyes to him and his sister. She could not afford to share her territory with them any longer, and she chased them out. Rake and Scrap milled about in confusion, before eventually deciding to stay together. They were all they had in the world, after all. Despite their hardships, they were honestly happy so long as they had each other.
As they grew, they came in conflict with the gangs of the town. At first, the gangs were more interested in chasing them out then talking. But Rake and Scrap grew strong in the cruel environment of the streets, thriving like weeds. Soon, they had reached their full size and the gangs of rogues were much kinder. Rake remained suspicious, and he encouraged Scrap to keep her distance. Scrap was the more clever of the two, and she quickly made a career of selling information to the gangs. Her black coat and sleek build made spying easy, and she brought home dinner on many nights when they would have otherwise starved.
Rake didn't have the advantage of being hard to notice. He didn't want to give up his freedom, but he was desperate for food and to prove himself. So, instead, he rented out his services as a bit of a thug for hire. For a safe place to sleep and a bit to eat, Rake would help a cat solve their problems. With his claws, if necessary. He found himself enjoying his bloody tasks, and he began to work for one cat particularly often. A big kittypet, of all things. Rake didn't mind, since the kittypet's housefolk were often out and he and Scrap got to crash in their house.
On one of those little missions, he chased his prey clear into the forest. He was twenty four moons, and he discovered the clans. Hidden in the forest and living a life that to the stray, looked like paradise. Instead of joining a clan, he found himself filled with horrible envy. He hated them. but he was also fascinated with them beyond belief.
So he regularly visits the forest between jobs, to tease the clan cats and learn more about his new obsession.
Family
Bell - Mother - 70 moons
Jack - Father - Kittypet - 80 moons
Scrap - Sister (Reserved by Chill, will put a link here when she's done.)
Jack - Father - Kittypet - 80 moons
Scrap - Sister (Reserved by Chill, will put a link here when she's done.)
CODED BY ELECTRIC
